Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area
The Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area is a 209,610-acre (848.3 km2) National Conservation Area located in western Colorado southeast of Grand Junction and northwest of Montrose. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and was created as part of the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009. A total of 66,280 acres (26,820 ha) were also designated as the Dominguez Canyon Wilderness in 2009.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Designation | National Conservation Area |
| Managed by | Bureau of Land Management |
| State | Colorado |
| Size | 218,593 acres |
| National Conservation Lands id | NLCS000323 |
| Center point | 38.75° N, 108.39° W |
| Night sky | Very dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 24) |
Boundary map
Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground
The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.
Weather by month
Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.
Where to camp
None of the 1 federal campground within ten miles sits inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.
Trails
9 named Forest Service trails start or end within 10.4 miles of the center point, 43 miles in all.
| Trail | Miles | Allowed uses |
|---|---|---|
| Short Point ↗ | 11 | |
| North Bench ↗ | 6.1 | |
| Corral Gulch ↗ | 5.7 | |
| Smith Point ↗ | 5.3 | |
| Bad Land | 4 | |
| Long Point | 3.1 | |
| Winter Camp | 2.8 | |
| Dominguez Cutoff | 2.7 | |
| Black Point | 2.6 |
Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet. The radius is the one a circle of this unit’s acreage would have, measured from the center point, so a trail listed here can fall outside the boundary.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedMain Mesa Piles Rx
35 mi from the center point · 366 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.
Explore
Nearby on the other atlases
- 6.2 miDelta County Bank Building ↗Delta, CO
- 6.3 miEgyptian Theater ↗Delta, CO
- 6.3 mi
- 6.3 mi
- 6.5 mi
- 7.1 miKettle-Jens House ↗Clifton, CO
- 7.1 miGarnethurst ↗Delta, CO
- 8.1 miClifton Community Center and Church ↗Clifton, CO
Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.
Guidebooks for Colorado
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How big is Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area?
218,593 acres.
Source: How acreage is computed
Who manages Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area?
The Bureau of Land Management.
Source: Bureau of Land Management
What state is Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area in?
Colorado.
Source: How states are assigned
Can I camp at Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area?
Rules vary by unit. The BLM page has the current camping rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.
Source: Where to camp
How do I get to Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area?
A point inside the boundary is at 38.749° N, 108.388° W. Colorado National Monument is 13 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.
Source: Bureau of Land Management
Is there a fire near Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area right now?
1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Main Mesa Piles Rx at 35 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.
Source: Fire nearby
Which national parks are near Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area?
Colorado National Monument (13 mi) and Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park (25 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.
Source: Nearby on the other atlases
Are there historic places near Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area?
The National Register has 21 listings within 15 miles, including Delta County Bank Building and Egyptian Theater.
Source: Register Atlas
Sources
- Boundary, name: the BLM National Conservation Lands layer.
- States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
- Acreage: geodesic area of the published polygon. The agency’s official acreage can differ where the boundary includes water, easements or inholdings.
- Description: Dominguez–Escalante National Conservation Area on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
- Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
- Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by trail endpoints falling inside a circle of this unit’s acreage around the center point.
- Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
- Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.